BOSTON — Three members of the Hartford men's basketball team combined to take home four All-Conference awards, the America East announced Thursday. Highlighting the honorees is grad student Traci Carter, who was named to the league's Second Team and All-Defensive Team.
 
Senior Austin Williams and junior Hunter Marks rounded out the Hawks' honorees, earning spots on the All-Conference Third Team and the All-Academic Team, respectively.
 
Carter takes home All-Conference and All-Defensive Team honors for the second straight season in 2021, as he was Second Team selection a year ago. In addition, with his All-Defensive Team award, he becomes the second repeat honoree in program history, joining Corban Wroe (2014, 2015). 
 
A Philadelphia native, Carter continues to be one of the most versatile guards in the America East. Averaging 10.9 points through 14 league games, he ranks second in the conference in assists (3.6 per game), while his 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio is the fourth-best in the America East.

His All-Defensive Team nod marks Hartford's third in the past four years, as Hassan Attia earned the award in 2018. In total, head coach John Gallagher has landed six players on the team. 
 
Carter totaled a league-best 38 steals during conference play to lead all America East players with 2.7 per game. With 51 steals on the season, he enters the America East Playoffs ranked No. 5 in the nation in steals per game (2.7). Most impressively, he is the first Hartford player in 31 years to average 2.5+ steals and 10.0+ points in the same season, as Lamont Milddleton was the last player to put up similar numbers (2.5 spg, 18.9 ppg) in 1989-90.
 
Williams has been a key contributor on both ends of the court in his first season as a member of the Hawks' backcourt. A transfer from Marist and native of Roseland, N.J., he is averaging a team-best 12.3 points per game, including 13.3 points in 14 league games. Williams has been stellar on the boards as well, with his 5.9 rebounds per game leading Hartford throughout conference play.
 
In addition, Williams has netted double figures a team-high 14 times, with 11 of those double-digit games coming since the start of America East play. He is one of the league's most efficient shooters as well, ranking seventh in the conference with a .467 field goal percentage.
 
A native of Phillip Island, Australia, Marks earns All-Academic Team honors for the second time in as many seasons in 2021. He becomes the third repeat All-Academic Team member in program history, joining Jaret von Rosenberg (2008, 2009) and Wroe (2014, 2015).
 
Marks, who has delivered a team-best three double-doubles in 2020-21, is enjoying another solid campaign in his third season at Hartford. He is the team's leader in minutes per game (34.2), rebounds per game (6.2) and total blocks (13), while his 9.3 points per game are fourth-most among active Hawks. Eight of Marks' 12 double-figure scoring games have come during America East action, as he enters the postseason riding a four-game rally. 
 
In the classroom, Marks is a two-time America East Commissioner's Honor Roll member (3.5+ GPA). He holds a 3.79 GPA as an entrepreneurial studies major.
 
Earning a top-four seed in the conference for the fourth year in a row, Hartford (11-8, 8-6 AE) is set to host one of two pods in the America East Playoffs this weekend. The No. 4 Hawks will play host to No. 9 Binghamton Saturday at 2 p.m., with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals on Sunday to play either No. 5 UAlbany or No. 8 NJIT at 3 p.m.
 
All three games of the Hartford Pod will be broadcast on ESPN+.